Allen Iverson's wife files for divorce

See Allen Iverson's career, from high school to retirement and his Hall of Fame election, in pictures.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

ATLANTA (AP) -- Allen Iverson's wife filed for divorce the same day the Philadelphia 76ers announced that the All-Star guard would not return for the rest of the season.

Tawanna Iverson said their 8 1/2-year marriage is "irretrievably broken," in papers filed Tuesday in Fulton County Superior Court. She asks for full custody of the couple's five children, child support and alimony.

The youngest child is 17 months old and the oldest is 15.

After rejoining the 76ers as a free agent in December, Iverson returned to Atlanta in February to be with his family and deal with an undisclosed illness affecting his 4-year-old daughter, Messiah.

The 34-year-old Iverson made a tearful return to Philadelphia eager to prove he wasn't finished after disastrous stints in Detroit and Memphis. He played his first game back before a sold-out crowd dotted with No. 3 jerseys, but he only showed flashes of his former playmaking ability. He scored at least 20 points six times -- including a 23-point effort in a game against the Lakers that turned into a throwback one-on-one duel vs. Kobe Bryant.

The former league MVP and four-time scoring champion averaged 13.8 points in 28 games this season. He started the season with Memphis but only played three games before announcing a short-lived retirement.

He has struggled to recapture his old magic; Iverson said at a Feb. 15 practice that it was emotionally draining to leavehis family to play basketball.

Iverson was hobbled by an arthritic left knee and constantly needed it drained. He usually walked gingerly around the locker room after games. His dwindling production didn't bother his fans -- Iverson was voted a starter for the East All-Stars, though he did not play.

Iverson was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1996 draft and spent 10 seasons in Philadelphia before he was traded to Denver in December 2006. He won the MVP in 2001 when he led the Sixers to the NBA finals.